My Daughter Ellie Has been hear since she was 2 years old. She has become an amazing dance in…read moreBallet and Lyrical. Amy and Robin had made CGPAC so amazing, they are so welcoming when we first came to to the studio. the performance's are just so amazing. She loves the studio so much.

My daughter has danced at CGPAC for the last 4 years! She loves the classes, her teachers, and most…read moreof all the performances! The owners Amy and Robin have created a welcoming and encouraging environment that also teaches students life skills of perseverance and cooperation. I'm thankful to be able to offer my daughter this opportunity and I look forward to many more years of growth with CGPAC!

Update: sat closer this time and the sound was much better. Don't know if the sound system has been…read moreupdated or its just clearer sound closer but it was much nicer. The seats are still the old movie theater style... The staff was pleasant and the interior nice. Parking was easy.

I purchased a ticket last minute to fill my time and this did not disappoint. I was kindly greeted…read moreat the doors and had a wonderful conversation with the bar tender. A couple next to me were excited for me as I told them about my becoming a grandma for the first time. They served up a great show in a quaint theater. I hope to return in the future.

Live theater - enjoyed 3 plays this season: On Golden Pond, Forever Plaid and Blithe Spirit. All…read moreacting was wonderful, dinners were tasty and i enjoyed the experiences. Thanks, Steve, for pulling this together and giving us high quality for a low price.

From the owner: We raise money for other charities by presenting full-scale dinner-theatre productionsread more

My kids grew up doing this excellent program and all three were complimented by college professors…read moreon their public speaking skills and confidence. Honestly, didn't expect that to be an outcome of what I thought was my kids just having a ton of fun at theater classes, summer camps and doing musicals throughout the year! Truly time and money well-spent, and they built a whole lot of core memories with CYT Chicago!

We love CYT! Our kids have made wonderful friendships and memories, and the productions are…read morewonderful quality too. CYT is truly a unique program which seeks to bring glory to God through performing arts.

I went to watch Les Miserables by Schaumburg On Stage as I'd recently missed the national tour in…read moredowntown Chicago. Realizing that Drury Lane and Paramount had done their version a few years back and Marriott Theatre had done it a bit before that, I wanted to watch a live version in case I can't make the next big stop in Milwaukee. I watch quite a bit of theatre, both professional and amateur. Not sure why, but until this show -- I wasn't aware of Schaumburg on Stage which has been around since 2016. To my surprise, the quality of the production was similar in quality to other highly acclaimed groups like the District 214 all-district group (which recently did The Wedding Singer). Here were my thoughts on various aspects of the show: Staging: It really surprised me how many sets were used in the show and how they were fully functional. They were designed and painted well and items were hardly reused. They also did a very good job of quickly changing sets to make sure the showtime was kept to a reasonable length. Vocals: Two things I like about this. One is how they kept the complex harmonies -- which worked great in group songs. The overall balance lacked baritone and bass voices, but that's expected with younger actors. I also liked how they did not shy away from the challenge of the very high notes for male or female leads. They could have easily changed the key, but it's great to see them embrace the challenge. Orchestra: A bit smaller, not sure if it's due to space limitations or that's the way the school version is written. A bit more reliant on piano and common woodwind/string instruments than the full version. I did like how they played at a level not to overpower the vocals. Lighting and fog: I liked all the varieties of lights used. Not just in general stage lighting from the top, but also from lights on the side and spotlights. There were quite a bit of variations on lighting, which helped to tell the story. I did not like the excessive use of stage fog though, which tended to linger for more than a single scene. Overall, a great group to watch a show from. It's much better than the typical amateur group and prices are very reasonable. It's also great how they incorporate actors and actresses from all different ages and help them to build interest in theatre. Based on the quality of this performance, I can't wait to watch another show when they get a new digital microphone system.

The experienced people at SOS really see the value and potential in each kid. They are like family…read morein that they really connect and care, but they also hold the kids to a high standard and help them achieve it. This is definitely a step up from park district community theater in both production quality and experience.

If you need a place to take your kids to dance look no further. Miss Kelly cares about each one of…read morethe kids and makes them feel special. She goes above and beyond for them and is an amazing teacher. My girls love her and can't wait to go back to her studio again and again.

From the owner: Dance is considered by many as the ultimate form of expression as it allows us to convey even our…read moredeepest emotions without uttering a single word. It is the art of movement that transcends the boundaries of spoken language and allows us to touch the hearts of people around us. If you're in Crystal Lake, Huntley, Carpentersville, Dundee, Algonquin, or other neighboring areas in IL, and are looking for exceptional dance instruction for yourself or for your child, you couldn't have come to a better place! The Ballet Box is an Algonquin dance studio committed to delivering top-notch dance education in a positive, nurturing environment. We are very specific about what our kids wear - we only allow classy dance uniforms with no skin showing. We're very particular even with the music. What goes in comes out, so only the best, positive music is played in our studio. For us, it's all about our students and making sure they get the quality dance education they need in a home-like nurturing environment. We welcome students from preschool, high school and college, all the way to adults aged 35 - 40. Here at The Ballet Box, we consider our studio more than just an ordinary dance studio; for us and our students, it's more like a second home where you get to grow with the people around you while continuously working on your craft.

I've been on both sides of the fourth wall in this little theatre, and all in all, it's pretty…read morenice. The seats are fairly comfortable, and the sightlines are mostly without issue, BUT they may add stools in the back for extra seating (which will be less comfortable), and anyone sitting house right should be aware that you might lose some of the action. Backstage, well, it's not exactly glamorous, but it's not exactly the Palace Theatre. And there ARE two separate bathrooms. For a small cast, you'll have room to stretch out. A large cast with multiple costumes and props, bless your hearts and good luck. If you see blood on the stage, I might know the owner...

Great local theatre. Comfy seats, easy-to-reach location. We went to see The Miracle on 34th Street…read moreRadio Play and had a good time. It's amazing what they do with limited space. The play was fun, and a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Some great singing voices in the cast! And no, it's not a musical... LOL. We'll come back to see more plays. Support your local theater!

I love the history of Arcada Theatre. It opened in 1926 on Labor Day weekend (their 100th birthday…read moreis coming up!). I remember when I was a kid we went on a tour here and the tour guide talked about a few ghost stories and myths about Al Capone using this place as one of his hiding spots. He took us backstage and in the basement. It was one of the most memorable tours I've ever been on, and probably what triggered my love for historical tours. I used to come here as a kid to see movies too. I have a fond memory of seeing the Wizard of Oz here (which I remember being projected onto a screen), and their old concession stand. Back then, Arcada Theatre was pretty simple and they hadn't yet updated it to be what it is today. Seeing the changes done to it have been a little heartbreaking for me, but I do appreciate that the owner has tried his best to turn it into something fun and still on theme with 1920s vibe. Now, there is a huge focus on live shows and entertainment. It feels like over the past 5 years, the live entertainment here has exploded and become so much more popular than it's ever been. The theater now mostly looks like a concert venue with big stage lights, speakers, and screens. There are also multiple different restaurants on site. It's a little disappointing whenever I see slot machines at a business, especially one with so much history, but oh well. I came here recently because I saw on their website they do a Silent Film series every month and I thought it would be fun to see at a theatre that started out showing silent movies! They were playing The Kid starring Charlie Chaplin. Before the movie, I purchased a box of their popcorn for $6. There was a live organ player called The Phantom that played during the entire movie, which I enjoyed. Overall, the experience was good but during the movie, it started buffering for a couple minutes and when it started up again, you could see the bar at the bottom of the screen to press play lol--it definitely took away from the experience.

The Arcada Theatre is a really cool place to go. It is old and historic in a good way. We were at…read morethe St. Charles History Museum when the docent told my husband and I that you can go in the theatre and ask for a tour. So that's what we did. It was a Tuesday afternoon when we went, so there were no shows going on. We were able to see the performance area, the balcony, and backstage areas. We also got to see the restaurants and bars on the upper levels of the theatre. Around every corner is another historic artifact or interesting thing to see. I can't wait to go back to see a show or eat at one of their restaurants. I highly recommend the Arcada Theatre!

We saw this new and on-going production at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. It's been a long time…read moresince we have seen a Cirque du Soleil show. We saw the only other two (for us) both times decades ago in Las Vegas with one being a water theme and the other a Beatles tribute theme. This OVO show had an insect theme, and it was a colorful, dynamic, acrobatic, amazing, musical, and funny circus-like show - all very entertaining! It was a 2 hour show including a 20 minute intermission. Even after all these years, they still come up with some new routines and gadgetry, and of course have retained many of their acrobatic favorites. This time they also had three clown characters for some comic relief between amazing acrobatic routines, and they were hilarious lol. They also had some live musicians performing as part of the show. This show apparently is only in Chicagoland for the Valentine's Day weekend and I really enjoyed it. I didn't really like the tight seating in the NOW Arena but that's a different story. Kids would enjoy it as well particularly with the insect costumes and clown routines. BTW, any photos I have included here are all legit - photography was actually encouraged, just no flash photography. I highly recommend the show if you have the opportunity to go!

The Goddard School has been our first experience with a preschool/daycare for our children…read more We've always felt the expense was not aligned with the benefit. We were wrong. Our 3-year-old is happy as a clam coming here. She cries sometimes at drop off, but the teachers are so great at consoling. One thing we love about Goddard is that they have flexible options for your needs. I won't get into them all, but we utilize 4 days a week and when there was a need for a day-switch, they easily accommodated. I already said the teachers are great, but in addition to being caring, they have given our child a sense of confidence and the freedom to try new things. Goddard also uses an app called Tadpole, where they regularly post photos with captions on what our child is doing. We like it because they send images of children only to the parents, it's not a shared directory of photos (except for the occasional group photo). Regarding the cost. For what they provide, we feel the cost is more than justified. Depending on your schedule, there are meals served throughout the day. They also allow you to bring substitutions for allergies or preferences. The cost is comparable to other schools in the area. Lastly, the school feels very safe. You need to sign in and get buzzed in to enter. There are plenty of windows so that you can see in and out of every classroom. This is great because you can see that the kids are happy here and the teachers are calm and kind. You should definitely consider Goddard.

This has been a great place for both my children. They always felt safe and cared for while they…read moreattended. they learned good coping strategies as well as experienced a rigorous but fun curriculum. As an educator myself I really appreciate the enthusiasm, commitment and care the teachers bring everyday. my family has been to other daycares and they did not even come close to Goddard. my daughter just graduated and seems ready for Kindergarten. my son is just finishing the 2nd grade and has been at the top of his class since kindergarten. This was largely impart to the great foundation of learning that he experienced at Goddard. I would strongly recommend the Lake in the Hills Goddard to anyone looking to bring their child to a fun and safe place that values learning and enriching the whole child. In addition they also started this year having field trips to the senior center across the street as well as a science fair. they also bring in MCC speakers to discuss the outdoors and different life cycles etc. My family and I have really enjoyed our time with Goddard and would recommend them to anyone.